How to Get Started on Hedera and Composer in 5 Easy Steps
A new generation of decentralized ledgers is coming. Solving many of the shortcomings of blockchains like Ethereum, Hedera Hashgraph is eyeing up a spot among the top tier decentralized ledgers. The network is growing both in users and developers. Now is the time to join and reap the benefits of the blockchain upgrade. Follow these quick 5 steps to get started; you should be set in under 20 minutes.
1 — Getting Hbar
You don’t need to do this if you choose “TestNet”. You will get 500 hbars to use on the test network.
Like in any network, your ability to interact with Hedera is contingent on you having cryptocurrency (Hedera’s currency is Hbar). Hbar allows you to act on the network. This includes buying any type of consumables, like domain names, ordering transactions, storing files, and deploying smart contracts. You can buy hbar just like you would any other cryptocurrency, through major crypto exchanges. Bittrex is one option to try. You can see other options on this FAQ.
2 — Downloading the Chrome extension
To enter the network, you simply need the Hedera Chrome extension (Composer) which can be downloaded straight from the Google app store. Composer is your one-stop shop to access all the services on Hedera. It is a seamless integration of the web browser you are used to.
3 — Signing up on Hedera
You need to have an account on Hedera, to identify yourself and safeguard your cryptoassets. Once you have the Chrome extension, sign in with your Google account by following the instructions that will be prompted. This will create a Hedera account linked to your Google account. You will also receive an account ID, which will be needed to identify yourself in any action you make on the network. For example, when someone wants to send you Hbar through Hedera, they will use this account ID to direct their Hbar to you.
4 — Transferring your Hbar
Now you have Hbar and a Hedera account. All that is left at this point is to transfer the Hbar you bought at an exchange to your Hedera account. You can use myhbartokens.com to make this, and any other, transaction.
5 — Enjoying Hedera!
You did it! You can now interact with Hedera and the dapps (decentralized apps) on it. There are a ton of opportunities on the network. Using the Chrome extension, you have access to all of them.
There’s a myriad of dapps for you to use on Hedera. The guys at DragonGlass built an elegant dashboard allowing users to query anything on the network. You can go ahead and check your newly-created account on there to make sure it’s truly owned by your public key and that it isn’t part of Threshold Keys. What are those? Check out Dragonglass’ article on Keys on Hedera Hashgraph to learn more.
With Hash Name Service, you can get domains to identify yourself on the network. Being on the network now gives you an early bird advantage. You can witness first-hand as the next generation of decentralized ledgers grows.
